Special railroad cars are used to transport vehicles such as automobiles and trucks from manufacturing plants to distribution centers. Such railroad cars are often referred to as auto rack cars. The number of decks which support the vehicles depends on the type of vehicles to be transported. Although some cars have a single deck it is more common to have two or three decks. Each deck will usually carry about four to six vehicles in the United States.
It is necessary to tie down or secure each vehicle to its supporting deck so that it remains in position while the railroad car moves from its point of loading to its destination. The system used to tie down each vehicle must be able to hold it securely even when the railroad car is subjected to buff and draft forces, as well as when it rocks, rolls and bumps.
One of the ways widely used in the United States to tie down vehicles requires a pair of parallel tracks, spaced apart about forty inches outside, on each deck. The four wheels of each vehicle span the tracks and thus provide centering guides when the vehicles are driven onto the railroad car in column formation in so-called circus loading. After a vehicle is properly positioned on a deck it is pulled down tightly by use of four chains. Two chains are used at each end. Each chain free end is hooked to the vehicle frame or body adjacent a track. Each chain extends downwardly to a carriage releasably slidable in a track and carrying a winch for tightening the chain. Such apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,566,803; 3,564,577; 3,374,008 and 3,673,969.
Although the described tie down apparatus has been successfully used for many years, recent vehicle structural changes in some models have lowered road clearance, indicating that alternative systems should be used at least for such models. Thus, in many cases it is no longer desirable to use a tie down system which pulls the vehicle body down and compresses the vehicle springs because this lowers the clearance between the vehicle transmission and the deck. When the railroad car bumps and pitches, the vehicle bottom can hit the deck and cause damage to the vehicle. Additionally, to withstand the tension applied to the underbody of the vehicle where the hooks are attached, special reinforcement must be added with increased cost solely to transport the vehicle and with no general benefit to the vehicle once it reaches its destination.
A further disadvantage of the prior art tie down system is that a laborer must have access to both sides of the vehicle; thus, space must be provided for him to work and walk on both sides. For some vehicles it is considered that tie down on one side only would be adequate if a suitable system were available. This would reduce the laborer's time and lower costs.
Another disadvantage is use of a winch to tension the chain since this requires that the laborer carry a crank with him to operate the winch. Since only a narrow path is present in the railroad car on each side of the vehicle, it is quite common for the laborer to accidently strike the vehicle with the crank as he walks along and dent the body or chip the paint thereby making the vehicle unattractive to a buyer.
From the above discussion it is believed clear that alternative tie down apparatus for vehicles transported by railroad car which eliminates some or all of the disadvantages of the prior art systems is needed.